elblondie's blog

The Final Frontier

Thu, 03 Aug 2006 02:48:58 +0100

Well, like a true professional I took a whole 4 days off before the Main Event. I refused to talk about poker, listen to poker stories or even go near The Rio. We played basketball, golf and went go-carting. I played Football Manager on my PC, read a little and chilled out by the pool. I resisted the temptation to go out and get drunk, and managed 8 hours sleep for 3 consecutive nights.

On the morning of my main event I was as well prepared as I could be. No excuses, focused and ready to rock and roll. I was seated on the table of predominantly unknown faces, with two exceptions - Chris Ferguson who had been having as bad a World Series as me and Richard Redmond from London.

I didn’t pick up any hands during the first level but I was happy with my progression to 10,500. The game started to heat up at the start of Level 2. I got involved in a couple of pots with Chris (who was in fact the last person I wanted to play with). I won 1 and lost 1 and an hour later was still at 10,500.

I then looked down at Pocket Kings, my first real hand. An early raiser had made it 300 to play and we had one caller for the 300. So I called and raised another 1,300 slightly more than the pot.

The original raiser was now in fact the short stack at the table. He thought for a moment and then moved in for all his chips. He had dwelled too long and he was also the loosest player at the table so it was an automatic call for me.

There was 13,000 in the middle. I had Kings, he rolled over pocket 8s. The dealer produced an 8 in the window. First card of the deck, no messing around. I was down to 3,900 in chips.

I reached the break at the end of the second level on 3,700 and gave myself a good talking to. Psyched myself up, told myself I could recover and still win this thing, came back to the table and promptly lost another 2k.

With only 1900 chips left, they broke my table and I moved over to the new table directly into the big blind. I was just complaining away about catching the big blind when I picked up A-7. A couple of players limped and the SB made it up, so I also checked.

The flop came down A-J-2 with 2 spades and the SB moved all in for his small stack of 1,700. I looked left and it looked like the limpers were ready to pass. I looked right and the SB was sweating. Surely he would have moved all-in pre-flop with any Ace face? Trip deuces maybe he would have checked looking for action?

I looked left and the limpers had lost interest in the pot. I looked right and the SB was not comfortable - so I moved in as well. The SB rolled over A3 and I took down a big pot, I was back in business. By the time we reached the end of the third level, and dinner break, I had progressed back up to 7,700.

I returned from dinner in a very healthy state of mind and was confident I would make it through the rest of the evening. The first hand back, I was on the cut-off and the BB was not present. Everyone passed to me and I raised with 9-T suited and picked up the pot uncontested.

The very next hand I picked up A-Q and repeated exactly the same exercise. However, I had received a stare and was aware that a few players had raised their eyebrows. I was going to have to sit back for a while now because I was going to get called next time.

However, the very next hand I looked down at Pocket Kings again. (Only my second real hand of the day.) I thought to myself if I raise this to 600 as well, there is just a chance someone may well play back at me. So I raised it to 600… and the button played back at me. He re-raised 1,800 and deposited the rest of my stack in the middle without much messing around.

He gave it the full 2 minute dwell but eventually called. We had 17,500 chips in the middle. My 2006 WSOP Main Event life was at stake. I had pocket Kings. He had A-Q. I just needed a flop without an Ace. The dealer produced an Ace in the window. First card of the deck, no messing around. I was out. End of story. End of Blog.

Time For A Break

Fri, 28 Jul 2006 05:47:06 +0100

Saturday 22nd July

Today’s comp was the $5000 PLH - the Event that my friend Brian Wilson won a bracelet in last year. No banana for me again though. Played 2 hands, lost 2. The second (my exit hand) is marginally interesting though.

Losing Control

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 01:04:08 +0100

Sunday 16th July

A Cash At Last

Thu, 20 Jul 2006 05:52:35 +0100

Friday 15th July

At last I managed to go deep in a tourney. Well at least last out the whole of the first day anyway. I got off to a fast start in the $2,000 NLH. There were over 1,500 runners again but by the end of the third level I was probably one of, if not, the early chip leaders with almost 30,000 chips.

Lucky in Cash, Unlucky in Multis

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 09:11:58 +0100

Monday 10th July

The problem with these diaries is they can get a little bit depressing to read. Unfortunately with tourney poker there is a lot of running bad though. That’s just the nature of the beast.

A Downward Spiral

Wed, 12 Jul 2006 10:58:57 +0100

Wednesday 5th July

I normally enjoy a game of Limit 7 Card Stud for a change. The way you have to think is so different from Hold’em and Omaha, I find it quite refreshing. However, I think I must have been a little hung over from the previous night's bad beat.

Ouch!

Thu, 06 Jul 2006 04:48:35 +0100

Monday 3rd July

I actually took a day off! Tony Chessa and Paul Jackson insisted on playing the Omaha Hi-Lo, so there was a shortage of drinking buddies. I tried to persuade Brian Wilson to go for a game of golf but he wasn’t having it, and Marc Goodwin had flown back to the UK for the birth of his 5th child.

An hour by the pool, a couple of hours on the computer and I ended up playing a couple of satellites in the evening. I am sick.

A Cash To Get The Ball Rolling

Mon, 03 Jul 2006 23:19:06 +0100

Today’s tourney was the $2,000 NLH and attracted a massive field of 1912 runners. All the tourneys start at Noon and as I had not lasted to the dinner break in any of the competitions so far, I was determined to play tight not taking any risks.

Mixed Fortunes

Sun, 02 Jul 2006 07:44:09 +0100

Wednesday 28th June (continued)

Hmmm. Now I see the advantage of stopping at Hooters. You get up and trot down to breakfast and you are guaranteed to have a smile on your face before you sit. Pretty girls everywhere.

The Annual Pilgrimage

Thu, 29 Jun 2006 02:59:57 +0100

Monday 26th June

I am booked on the Virgin VS43 direct flight from Gatwick direct to Vegas along with Marc Goodwin (right). Unfortunately, Mr Cool has the bright idea of checking in online, which includes having to type your password number in. Having driven from Birmingham to Gatwick at 5am, I now realise how dangerous it is to ever take my passport out of my laptop bag. I just don’t do it. And now I know why I don’t do it…

Scotsmen, Chinese Food, & Flush Draws

Fri, 02 Jun 2006 21:25:42 +0100

So the European Tour (poker variety) has reached sunny Barcelona. It’s 8pm one balmy evening in late May and an assortment of the UK’s finest poker players are trotting across the Harbour to the Marina top floor Chinese Restaurant (well, there’s a limit to how much fish you can eat in one week).

Barcelona World Heads Up

Mon, 22 May 2006 16:01:52 +0100

It’s been a while since I updated the blog, so I thought I’d better make the effort. I’m not running too well at the moment, so to be honest it’s a chore to sound cheerful.

Golf, Millionaires, & A Different Class Of Hustler

Thu, 04 May 2006 16:43:08 +0100

Oh…the question was, “Did Michael Jordan turn up for the golf match?” No. However, a surprising accidental substitute just happened along…

Bellagio & The Poker Gods

Sun, 23 Apr 2006 04:57:50 +0100

Well to say I’m gutted is the understatement of all understatements. The Poker Gods certainly like to have their fun!

The WPT Main Event at The Bellagio is the most important tournament of the year for me. It’s the one I’ve been looking forward to since the WSOP and the one I hold in a higher regard than the WSOP. It’s very difficult to look at the WSOP Main Event and realistically believe that I can win it. However, a field of under 600, 50,000 starting chips and the slowest of slow structures means that this event is a realistic target.

Golf, Millionaires, & Rap Music

Wed, 19 Apr 2006 04:24:58 +0100

I’ve just arrived off the VS043 in sunny Vegas and I just had to share some of the goings on with you. You just can’t make this up… it’s so far fetched it has to be true.